CASG TEAM
A team of industry, government and academia leaders with extensive knowledge, expertise and experience in international business. CASG is focused on, but not limited to, Canada and Asia.
Read more about the CASG team below.
PARTNERS
DOUG HORNER
Mr. Horner has held numerous positions with the Government of Alberta, including Deputy Premier, President of Treasury Board, Senior Advisor to the Premier on Internal and Federal-Provincial Relations, as well as Ministerial portfolios in Finance, Advanced Education and Technology, Innovation, and Agriculture. He has 20 years experience in international trade and has led many trade and investment missions to emerging markets. His business background includes experience in the banking and agriculture industries. Mr. Horner is accredited by the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holds the designation of ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
MONICA BARCLAY
Ms. Barclay has, for more than 25 years, worked with senior officials within the Public Service. She spent 14 years with the University of Alberta, first working with the President to establish relations with China, and then as the Assistant Director of the newly formed $37 million endowed China Institute. She has extensive relationships throughout China. Ms. Barclay is certified in management with the Canadian Institute of Management and has served as the President of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association (Edmonton Section).
BILL BUCKNER
Mr. Buckner retired from Cargill Inc. in August 2015 after 28 years in various leadership roles, most recently as Senior Vice President and a member of the Corporate Leadership Team(CLT), the core executive group in charge of Cargill’s overall strategy, growth, and funding. Mr. Buckner held numerous General Management roles with Maple Leaf Foods,Toronto,Canada from 1977 to 1987. Mr. Buckner graduated with honors from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. Mr. Buckner serves on the following Boards:
Teys-Cargill Joint Venture Brisbane Australia; Lykes Bros Inc. Tampa Florida USA; Nelson &Co Limited Wimbledon London UK; CAPI (Canada Agriculture Policy Institute) Ottawa Canada; and CASG (Canada Asia Synergy Group) Edmonton Canada. Mr. Buckner was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2015.
JOHN FERGUSON
Mr. Ferguson is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Princeton Developments Ltd. He is the former Chair of Suncor Energy and former Director with the Royal Bank of Canada. He currently sits as a Board Member for AIMCo, one of Canada’s largest institutional investment fund managers. Mr. Ferguson is a Fellow of the Alberta Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is an inductee of the Alberta Business Hall of Fame, a member of the Order of Canada and currently serves as the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel with the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment.
SHAWN HANSEN
Since 1992, Mr. Hansen has been a Land Broker in the agricultural and development real estate industry, starting as agent, and then becoming managing partner/broker with Rural Properties Ltd. In addition to facilitating some of Alberta's largest “brokered" land sales, Mr. Hansen has been involved in several of Western Canada’s largest land auctions. These include the King Brother Estate, an internationally publicized auction that sold 5,000 acres of Southern Alberta’s Porcupine Hills, as well as the sale of the Historical Kirk Ranch at Radium, British Columbia. He remains in the land business operating as Hansen Land Brokers. Mr. Hansen is also President of Hansen Land Company Ltd. This company owns and manages a small portfolio of retail, office and industrial real estate. Mr. Hansen recently received his Accredited Land Consultant accreditation from the Realtors Land Institute, the second land broker in Western Canada to do so.
MICHAEL HENRY
Mr. Henry currently serves as Dean of Business and Economics at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada. He publishes in the areas of family business succession, management education, andn public policy, as well as energy and the green economy in China. Mr. Henry’s career spans 10 years in the non-profit, public and private sectors. His previous roles include director of a non-profit health organization, an elected member of the Alberta legislature and in a private sector construction business. His consulting focus is strategy, regulatory affairs and public engagement in the resource-based and energy sectors. Mr. Henry holds a DBA from Southern Queensland and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta.
ROBERT LAI
Mr. Lai has over 30 years’ experience in Alberta’s technology and agricultural business sector, and has developed several strategic business partnerships globally and in Western Canada. He has extensive sales and marketing experience in both the private and public sectors, and is currently a sales executive with Fujitsu. Mr. Lai was formerly Associate Vice President with Agricultural Financial Services Corporation and Executive Director of Technology Industry Development with the Department of Advanced Education and Technology. Earlier in his career, Mr. Lai was an executive with Bell West, where he was instrumental in the development of the SuperNet initiative in Alberta. During his extensive professional career, Mr. Lai held senior positions with TELUS, EDS Canada and Enabil Solutions. Together with family, he owned and operated several successful food service businesses in the Edmonton area.
BARRY MEHR
Mr. Mehr brings more than 50 years of experience and expertise in the agricultural sector within government where he served as Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister for departments including, Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Economic Development; and Innovation and Science. Mr. Mehr is a Founding and current Director of Safe Food Canada - a Learning Partnership of Canadian Academic institutions, major food industry companies and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Mr. Mehr is also a member of the Management Advisory Board of the Alberta Innovates Glycomics Centre, Board of Directors of Alberta’s Agriculture and Food Council and Board of Directors of Genome Alberta. He is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Governors of Olds College.
JERRY NAQVI
Mr. Naqvi is the founder and owner of Cameron Developments Corporation, a developer of high-quality architectural retail developments. The company has many joint venture partnerships with significant Canadian corporations such as the Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (CREIT), Grosvenor Canada Inc., AIMCO, Ontario Pension Board (OPB), and Harvard Developments Inc. Mr. Naqvi has participated in various Committees and Boards, and has volunteered and helped lead the University of Alberta Senate and Board of Governors, Glenrose Hospital Foundation Board, Interfaith Dialogue Committee, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and Catholic Social Services. Mr. Naqvi also assisted in establishing a bursary in Dalippur, India for the development of a girl’s high school through a bursury for students of Muslim and Christian descent (faith). He is accredited by the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC), Industrial Developers Association of Canada, Appraisal Institute of Canada, and Alberta Real Estate Association.
DAVID TAM
Mr. Tam is a partner with the Alberta law firm of Parlee McLaws LLP and has developed valuable experience in numerous securities and corporate transactions. Throughout his practice, he has represented both issuers and agents for a number of public offerings, private placements and regulatory compliance matters for issuers listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Mr. Tam works with companies in several sectors including real estate, oil and gas, mining and resources, and technology. His roles include guiding the companies from the initial stages through to public offerings. Mr. Tam is a graduate of the Canadian Securities Course.
LAWRENCE WANG
Dr. Larry Wang retired in 2005 and became Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta after a 35 year career in teaching and research. He is the inventor of the Canadian Cold Buster bar and the Access bar (1992), a patented, technology-transferred “functional food” based on his 18 years of research on energy and fat metabolism. Currently, this University of Alberta “turn fat into fuel” product is marketed in 14 countries on four continents. For his innovative research, Dr. Wang was elected as a Fellow by the Royal Society of Canada. In 2000, Dr. Wang co-founded the University of Alberta’s Ecological Conservancy Outreach (ECO) Fund to help with eco-rehabilitation and poverty eradication in the poor rural areas of the Upper Yangtze River in Yunnan Province, China. He received the Friendship Award from the Government of China and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Alberta. Dr. Wang has served as Visiting and Honorary Professorships in several prestigious academic institutions in China.
ASSOCIATES
ERCEL BAKER
Mr. Baker served in several senior positions within the Federal Government, including Deputy Secretary to Cabinet in the Privy Council Office. During his tenure with the Public Service Commission, he worked for many years with relevant Ministries and Commissions of the People’s Republic of China, advising and assisting in their reform of the Chinese civil service. China honoured Mr. Baker with the Friendship Award in recognition of his contribution to “China’s Construction”. Mr. Baker was a founding partner of Mayco Corporation, a company that promotes the building, operating and transfer of electricity generating facilities in China. Today, in addition to managing his own company, his is an Adjunct Professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance in Beijing.
JASON DUKELSKY
Mr. Dukelsky has held numerous senior positions including Marketing Manager, Marketing/Customer Support Manager and Operations Manager, with different companies, including Cummins Alberta, Wajax, Westcan Wireless. He obtained the designation of Certified Management Accountant in 2008 and began at ATCO Electric holding positions of Business Analyst, Corporate Accountant, and finally Transmission Financial Services Supervisor. In 2011, he became Controller and then Vice-President, Finance/Chief Financial Officer with Tridon Communications from 2011 to 2016. He has worked with the CMA Society of Alberta as a contract moderator in the Strategic Leadership Program beginning in 2010, helping future accountants earn their designations.
MICHAEL LAM
Mr.Lam is experienced in investor relations for publicly traded companies and research for the regulatory body of Alberta's physicials. He is a Director for the Hong Kong Canada Business Association (Edmonton Section), Vice President of Edmonton's Chinatown Business Revitalization Zone and acts as an Advisor for the Edmonton Shunde Business Association. Mr. Lam has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.
SHEN LAO
Mr. Lao is the co-founder of SMR Trading. He is a former International representative for Baoding Heavy Industry and has 10 years experience in international trading. His business background includes experience in business development in the areas of mechanical equipment & accessories and projects; textiles, and bathroom/plumbing products.
DAVID WONG
Mr. Wong resides in Beijing assisting Canadian and Chinese companies seeking business opportunities in Canada or China. Previously, he served as the Managing Director in the Government of Alberta China Office responsible for Alberta operations in the Greater China region with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. Prior to his placement in China, Mr. Wong worked in Alberta in various positions including Trade Director for China/Hong Kong, Senior International Trade Director of Asia Pacific and Senior Manager of Investment Asia in the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Wong also held senior positions with the Government of Canada, spending more than five years in Taipei as the Agriculture Trade Commissioner. Mr. Wong holds several awards from his provincial and federal government postings such as the Alberta Agriculture Performance Excellence Award, Premier’s Award of Excellence and the Canadian Government Award for Excellence. Mr. Wong has a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Commerce degrees.
EDY WONG
Dr. Wong is an advisor to Herald Capital in Beijing, a visiting professor at several Chinese universities and the Chinese Academy of Governance, and a regular lecturer at the China Executive Leadership Academy, Pudong. As well, Dr. Wong works with various Alberta government departments to promote Alberta businesses to Asia. Dr. Wong held directorships within several manufacturing and supply chain management firms in China and Hong Kong, was President of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association in Edmonton, and served as an advisor to various international firms. Dr. Wong is the founder of the Asia-Pacific Management program and the Applied Degree in Supply Chain Management program at MacEwan University. As well, he helped establish the Master of Financial Management program in China through the University of Alberta. Dr. Wong is a recipient of a Governor General’s Medallion as a “Bridge Builder” between Canada and China.